I've heard a lot about hot yoga, but I've ever taken yoga classes before. Do you think it matters if someone hasn't gone to a class before? I've done yoga in my living room for a few years now, but I wonder an actual class would be much more difficult.

i didn't really practice before i started earlier this year and didn't have any issues other than adjusting to the heat and routine. i once took a hot yoga class that was intense, but bikram is a "beginner's series," just meaning the individual poses are really accessible. i really like the heat and highly recommend giving some kind of hot yoga a try. sometimes it sucks in the moment, but it feels soooo good afterward.

I had the same experience, I pretty much jumped right into hot yoga and was fine. The heat does take some adjusting but it's an amazing feeling once you're done.

I wish I could try hot yoga, but as far as I know, the first hot yoga center in Prague opened not too long ago and it's just way too expensive for me. I took up yoga last year because our university system requires all students of all majors to take 2 semester of sports. I always wanted to try and this was the perfect opportunity, it's free and the yoga center is literally across the street from my apartment. It's one of those Yoga in daily life centers. What kind of yoga is that? Apart from the exercise itself we do relaxation, meditation and also pranayama. I like it, although the god talk is sometimes too much for me (I'm a spiritual person, but any type of god is not my thing).

Does anyone have any recommendations for books on the more spiritual side of yoga (I guess raja yoga rather than hatha yoga)? I was looking at this one http://www.amazon.com/Yoga-Sutras-Patan ... 0932040381 but I'm thinking there might be a better one for beginners to that side of yoga.

I've been struggling with anxiety attacks ever since my move in spring of 2009 and while they've been getting much better, were still always with me grumbling under the surface, but anyway, I've been doing a 90 minute Kundalini practice with a group every Wednesday night for a month now and those last vestiges of panic seem to have left me at last. I feel like me again, relaxed and able to live my comfortable life. Yay! It's been a great help.

Does anyone have any recommendations for books on the more spiritual side of yoga (I guess raja yoga rather than hatha yoga)? I was looking at this one http://www.amazon.com/Yoga-Sutras-Patan ... 0932040381 but I'm thinking there might be a better one for beginners to that side of yoga.

Yeah, I read some yoga books early on (like Yoga: Mind and Body, Yoga for all Ages by Rachel Carr - which I actually first learned from, not VHS/DVDs - and something by Godfrey Devereaux) but I'm not sure I would recommend them for theory or whatevs. They were all right and instructive and where I was at the time, but I'm feel like there's better stuff I just don't know of.

I always liked to know what effects the posture would have on my body/mind when I was learning--like how some asanas help you sleep, some invigorate and make you feel energetic, some are said to help develop courage and will, etc.

I always liked to know what effects the posture would have on my body/mind when I was learning--like how some asanas help you sleep, some invigorate and make you feel energetic, some are said to help develop courage and will, etc.

I got Light on Yoga for giftmas, which seems to have a lot of details of what posture is good for what issue. So I'm hoping that'll be a good starting point.

I normally practice hatha or vinyasa yoga, but have gone to hot yoga classes today and yesterday. It is hard! I've never sweat so much in my life. It's not as flow-based as what I am used to, and I get so distracted by the sweat. Are there varying benefits to hot vs. non-hot yoga? Any advice for dealing with the major buckets of sweat?

^I love Shiva Rea! I have one of her DVDs - Vinyasa for daily energy or something like that. Vinyasa is really the only type of yoga that I've ever done, but I bet I would be alright with Hatha. I'm a Pitta, so something like Bikram or Power yoga really wouldn't be good for me. One of the books I got called The Yoga Body Diet gives you yoga sequences for your dosha. It also gives you lists of food and recipes for your dosha, but you'd have to veganize some of them. :3

I haven't done yoga in forever though - except for a couple of things on the Wii Fit. Which really doesn't count to me, since I'm used to having a flowing sequence. The Wii does make you hold your balance and hold the poses for so many seconds though, so it can be a bit challenging. It does burn about two calories per pose I guess. For me anyway.

Anyway, I really need to start getting back to yoga! I signed up for a 21 day yoga challenge for Yoga Journal, so starting Jan. 10, I'm going to have newsletters inspiring me to do yoga. :p I really must do it, since it's my favorite exercise, and I don't work out much because I hate getting sweaty and tired. Yoga and walking (running if I'm up for it) are really the only exercises I care to do. I should have been an Aries. XD

_________________My brother had a beehive in Ithaca, and a bear destroyed it.He has a new beehive now, but this one has hurtful anti-bear epithets scrawled all over it.And that's why I don't eat honey.

Well, I finally got inspiried by talking about yoga and the new year, as well as the sunny day I have outside...so I did three sun salutations. I have discovered that I have become quite inflexible. I used to be able to put my heels on the floor in a downward dog, but now I'll have to work on it again. Buh. :p

_________________My brother had a beehive in Ithaca, and a bear destroyed it.He has a new beehive now, but this one has hurtful anti-bear epithets scrawled all over it.And that's why I don't eat honey.

does anyone have some good recommendations for yoga online or dvd's? or any suggestions from yogadownload.com?

I love the yogawithles.com podcasts. They're not free, but Les is great. I practiced with him at Wanderlust and he is high on my list of teachers to practice with again--so wonderful and gentle spirited, but funny and ass-kicking, too.

_________________No. No. fork life allatimes. - mumblesThat commercial didn't make me want to go out and buy Dove, but this thread did make me sniff my armpits. They smell like apricot. - designedtobekind

a long, thin yoga towel on top of my mat was infinitely helpful in reducing the amount of fidgeting and moving of towels i had to do.

also, and i don't mean to be cheeky, you just deal with it. once you accept that it's going to happen, it becomes a lot less bothersome. and practicing stillness (when you can, depending on what type of class you're in) is kind of amazing. you have all these itches and drips and stuff, but you just...don't do anything about them.

i miss yoga. i've decided to do free fitness this year because i'm broke, so i might do some stuff at home, but it won't recreate the feeling of a good hot yoga class.

a long, thin yoga towel on top of my mat was infinitely helpful in reducing the amount of fidgeting and moving of towels i had to do.

also, and i don't mean to be cheeky, you just deal with it. once you accept that it's going to happen, it becomes a lot less bothersome. and practicing stillness (when you can, depending on what type of class you're in) is kind of amazing. you have all these itches and drips and stuff, but you just...don't do anything about them.

i miss yoga. i've decided to do free fitness this year because i'm broke, so i might do some stuff at home, but it won't recreate the feeling of a good hot yoga class.

I can mostly ignore it, but get cranky when the sweat pools in between my boobs, and then pours up my nose/into my eyes when I shift into downward dog. I'm trying to get zen with my boob sweat.

I was doing Kundalini for a bit but started to notice a real loss in muscle tone and some neck pain. I recently rediscovered Hemalaya Behl's "Yoga for Urban Living" and "Yoga for Young Bodies" on dvd. Each dvd has 3 practices on them and she does add some chanting "Om" and a bit of kundalini. She blends hatha, taoist, and a bit of indian dance. The music is really pretty as well.Also, I have been reading up on the Five Tibetans (5 exercises that you do everyday to promote chakra balance). They only take about 10 min. and are great to begin the day with. I do them before I jump on my rebounder.

I was doing Kundalini for a bit but started to notice a real loss in muscle tone and some neck pain.

I did Kundalini yoga DVDs at home without guidance for some years and found that (especially with Gurmukh's) she tends to incorporate the neck into the spinal movements (i.e. dropping the head when you go back, or raising your chin when you go forward when you're doing the spinal flexes) but in the class I'm in, the teacher discourages that and tells us to "keep your head in line with our spine," and do the "chin lock" to help ensure it stays put and focus the movement only in the spine. I never had problems with my neck but I imagine if you did, this instruction would help.

I've been struggling with anxiety attacks ever since my move in spring of 2009 and while they've been getting much better, were still always with me grumbling under the surface, but anyway, I've been doing a 90 minute Kundalini practice with a group every Wednesday night for a month now and those last vestiges of panic seem to have left me at last. I feel like me again, relaxed and able to live my comfortable life. Yay! It's been a great help.

could you explain this? I bought a livingsocial deal for a month of hot yoga and ive gone about 5 times. I started lexapro yesterday and almost had a panic attack in class. I'm attributing it to the drug, but still. I also get super tired during yoga (like, cant stop yawning tired) and am usually sleepy, not energized after. does my body just not respond right to exercise? I plan to keep going (get my moneys worth), but I'm curious as to how it helped your anxiety. Do you notice feeling calmer during class? Is there some magic moment that I'm missing? Or do you just feel better allatimes because of yoga? Perhaps this is not for me.ETA: my anxiety is really really mild. I'm only starting drugs preemptively for school that starts in a few months.

I've been struggling with anxiety attacks ever since my move in spring of 2009 and while they've been getting much better, were still always with me grumbling under the surface, but anyway, I've been doing a 90 minute Kundalini practice with a group every Wednesday night for a month now and those last vestiges of panic seem to have left me at last. I feel like me again, relaxed and able to live my comfortable life. Yay! It's been a great help.

could you explain this? I bought a livingsocial deal for a month of hot yoga and ive gone about 5 times. I started lexapro yesterday and almost had a panic attack in class. I'm attributing it to the drug, but still. I also get super tired during yoga (like, cant stop yawning tired) and am usually sleepy, not energized after. does my body just not respond right to exercise? I plan to keep going (get my moneys worth), but I'm curious as to how it helped your anxiety. Do you notice feeling calmer during class? Is there some magic moment that I'm missing? Or do you just feel better allatimes because of yoga? Perhaps this is not for me.ETA: my anxiety is really really mild. I'm only starting drugs preemptively for school that starts in a few months.

I feel better all the time thanks to yoga, but that comes with time and regular practice (I've been practicing yoga on and off since 1995, mostly with some regularity). Also, I read in one of my yoga books (Yoga for All Ages by Rachel Carr) years ago that you need to have two years of regular practice behind you to really feel the full benefit to feel its full effects settling into your life. But I found I felt many of the positive effects of it immediately but for the relaxation to be a more habitual thing, you need some consistent time of regular practice behind you.

Yoga can also stir you up, bring some emotions to the surface and I've found that, too. I think I heard that on a DVD, not read in a book. In time, that will calm down.

Also, I have agoraphobia which sets off my panic and one time a couple of months ago when I was in my Kundalini class, I had a bit of anxiety because we practice in a large auditorium and so the ceiling is REALLY high and when I leaned back to do a posture, the vastness of the ceiling unsettled me but it passed. I think yoga helped my anxiety, but it doesn't cure it entirely. Takes the edge off. I haven't had a bobble of my anxiety for a while now *fingers crossed*. I think my panic arose because of my move a couple of years ago and now that I'm settled into my new residence, I'm feeling calmer overall and that's helping too.

But to give a short answer to your question, it's not a magic moment, it's an overall, gradual process. *Yoga, as a practice, is, theoretically, meant to put you in a stressful position (i.e., physically, your body is put in stressful positions during practice) and you learn to breathe through them, learn to relax in them and I guess eventually, with the mind/body connection, that same philosophy can be applied to life.

*I might have read this in the same Rachel Carr book or another, can't remember exactly which one. I did a lot of reading up on yoga when I first started practicing, so I remember reading this from around sixteen years ago.

So yeah, it certainly helps, takes the edge off, but is not a cure. It's just one more thing you can do, among other things, to help address conditions like anxiety, in my opinion.